4,5,10 November and 19 December 2014
During a routine inspection
Dimensions 4a Ash Street is registered to provide accommodation and support for five people diagnosed with learning disabilities or autistic spectrum disorder. At the time of our inspection there were four people living in the home.
The inspection was unannounced and took place on the 4,5,10 November and 19 December 2014.
The service had a registered manager. A registered manager is a person who has registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to manage the service. Like registered providers, they are ‘registered persons’. Registered persons have legal responsibility for meeting the requirements in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and associated Regulations about how the service is run.
People we spoke with told us they felt safe within the home and because of the care that staff provided them with. They told us that the staff were caring and respectful and met their needs. Our observations confirmed this and we found that there were effective systems in place to protect people from the risk of harm.
The provider had a robust recruitment process in place. Records we looked at, confirmed that staff started work in the home after all recruitment checks had been satisfactorily completed. Staff told us that they had not been offered employment until these checks had been confirmed.
Systems were in place to ensure that medicines were stored, administered and handled safely. Staffing arrangements meant there were enough staff to manage medicines appropriately and to meet people’s needs safely.
The CQC is required by law to monitor the operation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and to report on what we find. Through our discussions, we found staff demonstrated that they understood the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act (2005) and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. This meant they were working to support people who may lack capacity to make their own decisions. The registered manager had a good knowledge of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) and advised us that they had made applications in respect of the people living at the service.
Staff understood the needs of people and we saw that care was provided with kindness, compassion and assured their dignity and privacy. People and their relatives all spoke very positively about the home and the care that people received.
Staff told us they received on-going training and we found that they were appropriately trained and understood their roles and responsibilities, as well as the values of the home. They said that they had completed on going training to ensure that the care provided to people was safe and effective to meet their needs. Staff also told us they had robust support, induction and supervision that was relevant to the needs of the people who lived at Dimensions 4a Ash Street.
People received effective support around their personal needs and we found that staff supported people to maintain their mobility and nutritional needs.
People had access to healthcare professionals when they became unwell or required help with an existing medical condition. We found that people’s ability to remain independent was encouraged and people were supported to access activities that they enjoyed within the home and in the wider community.
Staff spoke positively about the support they received from the registered manager. Staff told us there was a good level of communication within the home which helped them to be aware of any changes. People told us they found the staff and management approachable and knew how to raise complaints and concerns.
We found that the service was well-led and that staff were well supported and consequently motivated to do a good job. The registered manager and senior staff consistently monitored and reviewed the quality of care people received and encouraged feedback from people and their representatives, to identify, plan and make improvements to the service.